Serka Zong Mani Shrine & Wall At Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Within the exotic lands of Disney's Animal Kingdom, guests will encounter the quaint Himalayan village of Serka Zong. This weather worn outpost offers a more foreboding feeling than other areas of Anandapur, the meaning of its name "Fortress of the Chasm." The pathways guests walk through this space are flanked by aging stone structures, intricately carved wall shrines, and prayer flags fluttering overhead. One of my favorite spots in this area is the Mani Wall facing Forbidden Mountain.

Mani Shrine in Serka ZongMani Shrine Yeti Stone

The mani stones in Serka Zong are slate tablets, intricately carved with mantras, and devotional designs sacred to the area. They take their name from the common prayer "Om mani padme hum," though that is not the only thing that may be carved upon the stones. Placed together on a piled stone wall the stretches out from a small Yeti Shrine, the Serka Zong mani stones offer prayers to the spirit of the mountain. Tibetan Buddhists walk around mani stone collections in a clockwise direction, with which the earth and universe revolve, as an act of devotion.

Mani Wall in Serka ZongMani Stone Along The Wall

Throughout Tibet and Nepal, mani stones are intentionally placed along roadsides and rivers. Often the stones are placed together in such great numbers that they are eventually formed into walls, temple, and mountain shapes. The Serka Zong mani stones form a shrine and wall.

It is said that mani stones carry "tremendous positive energy throughout the world" as they catch in the wind. While spending time at the mani wall my daughter and I noticed a small offering left by a guest within a nook of the to the Yeti Shrine mani wall.

Small Offering To The Yeti Left Behind

Have you ever left an offering to the Yeti? Leave a comment and let me know!